DOVER— Multiple power outages and downed trees have already been reported throughout the Seacoast region this morning as Tropical Storm Irene moves through the area.

According to Accuweather.com senior meteorologist Mike Pitott, the area should be clear of the worst rain by about 5 p.m. tonight.

"One of the last bands is moving through Boston now," Pitott said at approximately 11:15 this morning, saying that the worst of the storm will be moving through the Seacoast region between 11 a.m. and 5 or 6 p.m.

While rain should be gone by this evening, Pitott said that wind would continue into the night, slowing by around midnight. As of 11 a.m. this morning, Pitott said that the highest gusts recorded in the area were about 44 miles per hour, and that Skyhaven Airport had received nearly two inches of rain so far. The area is expected to get between two to three inches of rain by the time the storm has passed.

Pitott said by Monday morning, the storm should be completely clear of the area.

PSNH and New Hampshire Electrical Co-op were already reporting many power outages Sunday morning, caused by falling trees and limbs that tore down wires.

On PSNH's website arround noon, Dover was reported to have 342 customers without power, while Durham had over 700 without power, Rochester reported 161, and Somersworth with 112 without power.

NHEC was reporting 252 without power in New Durham and said crews, as well as contract line and tree crews, are in the field and working. Given the expected duration of the storm and the likelihood of further outages to come, estimated times of restoration are not available at this time.

Roads were also closed from falling limbs throughout the area. In Dover, Route 155 was closed after a motor vehicle accident. There is no information on the accident at this time. A back road near Route 67 in Dover was also closed after electrical wires were downed in the roadway.

On Meaderboro Road in Farmington near Butternut Farm, wires were downed and were sparking in the roadway, causing a traffic interruption.

Trees were down on a few houses in Rochester, including one at 43 River Street that crashed through a portion of the home's porch roof. No injuries were reported. A large branch also fell on a home at 15 Harrison Avenue.

Gov. Lynch declared a state of emergency Friday afternoon in an effort to ensure that state and federal resources are available as the state prepared for Irene's arrival and Saturday morning, President Obama granted Lynch's request to declare a pre-landfall emergency disaster, ensuring that federal resources will be available during the storm.

As part of the state of emergency declaration, the National Guard is on state active duty and ready to assist communities in need.

Saturday afternoon, Lynch urged all New Hampshire residents to find shelter, if needed, and to stay off roadways and waterways, and stay away from beaches on Sunday.

"This is a serious and potentially dangerous storm," Lynch said. "It is very important for everyone to heed to the warnings of emergency officials. Residents who feel their homes may not sustain high winds or who are located in a low-lying area subject to flooding, should seek alternate shelter before the storm hits."

Although Irene has been downgraded to a tropical storm, Accuweather.com expert senior meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said residents should not let their guard down.

"It won't be a hurricane... but that may not matter much as far as the effects of rainfall and strong winds," Sosnowski said. "We were expecting this right along- this thing to weaken as it went up the coast."

Sosnowski said Seacoast area residents can still expect to see sustained winds between 20 and 30 miles per hour, with gusts reaching up to 45 miles per hour. Residents can also expect between 4-8 inches of rain.

This combination of wind and rain, despite wind gusts being slower than previously forecast, could still topple may trees, causing power outages and other damage, Sosnowski said.

He said that because August has already been a wet month, the ground and leaves are saturated with water. This, Sosnowski said, makes trees top heavy and more likely to fall in a wind storm.

"We're anticipating a significant number of power outages," he said. "People should be prepared to be without power for several hours, and potentially for several days."

Sosnowski said the worst conditions will be seen during the daylight hours on Sunday, with rain petering out, but winds remaining strong into the Sunday night and Monday.

These sustained winds, he said, could result in new power outages on Monday.

Local law enforcement agencies, power and utilities companies, and many local residents have prepared for the worst.

In Rochester, the decision was made Saturday afternoon to open up a shelter for those who felt they could not stay in their homes. The shelter, which was set up Friday, will be at Rochester Middle School at 47 Brock Street, and will open at 8 a.m. Sunday.

Anyone interested in utilizing the shelter are asked to bring any personal toiletry items they might need as well as any required medications, and a pillow and blankets if possible.

The shelter is also equipped to handle most household pets, including dogs, cats, birds, and other small animals. Pet owners are asked to keep all dogs on a leash and bring all cats in with carriers. All other small pets should also be brought to the shelter in their own cages or tanks. Food and medications for pets should also be brought by the owners.

Owners must also bring all vaccination records to the shelter for any pets they wish to bring inside.

For continuing information on the storm, look to the fire department and police department webpages and Facebook pages.

In Dover, Fire Department Sgt. Paul Haas said Saturday evening that the decision of whether to open shelters in Dover will be made depending on weather conditions Sunday. If shelters are opened, they will be housed at the Dover Baptist Church on Washington Street and at Dover Middle School, Haas said.

For updates on the status of shelters and for other storm information, visit the city's website or the fire department website. More information will also be available via the fire department dispatch center at 603-742-4646.

Haas said local officials are preparing for flooding and other emergencies in the city, and said that the areas along the upper end of the Cocheco River, in downtown Dover, are at the highest risk of flooding.

The department will have extra personnel on duty Sunday, Haas said, adding that the department and other officials in the city have been preparing to deal with the storm for days.

"We've taken inventory of everything, made sure everything we have is in a state of readiness so we're set to go," Haas said. "We've reviewed our procedures for dealing with numerous calls at once, and we encourage people at home to do the things we're doing."

Haas said the department is prepared to open the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in order to better coordinate an emergency response between all city emergency personnel.

Haas also said that local officials have been talking frequently with the state emergency management teams in order to better coordinate a response to the storm.

Somersworth Fire Department Lt. Kenneth Vincent said emergency personnel there have also been preparing for the arrival of the storm, saying that an extra shift of fire personnel will be on duty Sunday beginning at 7 a.m. The department is also prepared to call in the entire force if necessary, Vincent said.

Vincent said the city has worked to ensure that emergency officials are prepared to work long hours by setting a cooking facility for them at Idlehurst Elementary School, where there is enough food to feed the city's emergency workers for three days.

Vincent said while the department is prepared to respond to emergencies across the city, there are some areas that are at a particular risk for flooding.

Areas along the Cocheco River have always had issues with flooding, Vincent said, particularly at the bridge that leads into Berwick, Maine.

Vincent said that in previous storms, the water level has become so high, the river was actually touching the bottom of the bridge. The pressure caused by the rising water can result in a lot of damage to the bridge, which is already old and in need of an overhaul, he said.

If the river becomes too high, the bridge will be closed, Vincent said.

Vincent also urged area residents to find shelter early, saying that if homeowners believe they may have to leave and find alternate shelter at some point, to do so when the shelters first open. Somersworth residents will be sent to the shelter set up at Rochester Middle School.

Portsmouth officials announced Saturday that a shelter would not be opened at Portsmouth High School.

Instead, Fire Chief Chris LeClaire, the regional emergency management coordinator, encourage residents of low-lying areas to seek higher ground or go to the Seacoast regional shelter at Sanborn High School in Kingston.

City Manager John Bohenko and other city officials will continue to closely monitor the track of the storm and the region's Emergency Operations Center at Portsmouth Fire Station 2 will open at 9 a.m. on Sunday and operate through the duration of the storm, LeClair said.

During the storm, citizens with Public Works emergencies (such as flooding or debris in roadways) should contact DPW at 427-1530 but should contact the EOC at 427-1580 with other storm-related concerns. The City will open the Recycling Center on Monday from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. to receive storm debris.

In Durham, residents have been warned of possible power outages, flooding, falling trees and blocked roadways that might be caused by the storm. The town has made sure to have additional staffing on hand. Public Works has tree crews on call, detour signs available, barricades ready, equipment fueled, and construction projects buttoned up, according to the town website, and local fire and police officials have also increased their staff for the storm.

Fire fighters have warned Bennett Road and Cold Springs Road residents of the possibility that Irene could bring flooding in the area, as the area has been known to flood during heavy rains.

Residents of Durham who need general assistance that is not related to power outages can call the Durham Fire Department at 868-5531 or the Durham Police Department at 868-2324.

Residents and vacationers in the Lakes Region have also been preparing for the storm, with many boaters removing their boats from the water and putting them in storage.

According to Matt Young, the owner of the Melvin Village Marina on Lake Winnipesaukee, his customers have taken this storm more seriously than in past years.

"I think they are taking the storm seriously," Young said Saturday afternoon, as most boaters were beginning to come off the water. "I don't remember this (reaction) to a storm in the past 20 years. People are definitely paying attention."

Young said the biggest concern to his marinas and others in the Lakes Region is the wind from the storm, which he said can rip boats from their moorings, sending them into the lake and possibly crashing into the shore, and can even rip apart docks.

Local hospitals are also preparing for the storm, although many said the storm should not affect operations.

Officials at both Frisbie Memorial Hospital and Portsmouth Regional Hospital said they do not expect the storm to interrupt their normal services, but that could change depending on the weather Sunday.

Wentworth-Douglass Hospital announced Friday that it is canceling all elective procedures, scheduled appointments and educational classes on Monday, Aug. 29. The Walk-In Urgent Care Center in Lee will also be closed on Sunday, Aug. 28 and Monday, Aug. 29. Patients needing emergency care should go directly to the ER at the hospital.

Local utilities companies are also making sure they are prepared to deal with the likely numerous power outages Sunday and Monday as a result of the storm.

PSNH workers have been reviewing their emergency plans and preparing for a multiple day restoration effort since earlier this week.

According to its Customer Operations Director David Bickford, the company has secured additional line and tree crews in an effort to restore power to customers more quickly, including more than 100 PSNH and local line crews, an additional 100 line crews from Hydro Quebec, and more than 90 contract tree trimming crews.

PSNH's parent company, Northeast Utilities, has also secured nearly 500 additional line crews from as far away as Alabama and Michigan. These crews will be on standby and will be deployed to the state and other New England states based on the storm's impact and damage, according to a statement from the company.

PSNH officials said that anyone who sees downed power lines or fallen trees, or experiences a power outage, should report it to the company immediately by calling 1-800-662-7764.

For those in areas without local shelters, the Red Cross has set up four regional shelters across the state in Kingston, Nashua, Keene, and Bow. Many local emergency officials are urging area residents without a local shelter to go to the shelter in Kingston if they feel they cannot stay in their homes.

The Kingston shelter will be open from Saturday evening at 6 p.m. throughout the day Sunday and will be held at Sanborn Regional High School. The shelter will be staffed for every hour it is open and will provide meals to those staying there.

Anyone going to the shelter is asked to bring pillows, bedding, medications, and any other personal items needed. Pets will be accepted at the shelter, but owners are asked to bring cages or crates for the animals, as well as food and any necessary medications.

A shelter was also opened Saturday night by the Maine Emergency Management Agency in South Berwick at Marshwood High School. This shelter is also pet friendly and will remain open throughout the storm.

For more information throughout the storm on regional and local shelters, dial 211.